Use seatbelts

Use seatbelts

From Media Indonesia

On Sept. 17 every passenger sitting in the front seats of a
motorized vehicle will be required to put on a seat-belt. The
regulation does not require passengers on the rear seats to put
on seat-belts. The reason may be that not all cars have rear
seat-belts fitted. The problem now is that given the economic
crisis, buying seat-belts, which are quite expensive, is a fairly
heavy financial burden to place upon the average car owner.

Nevertheless, existing traffic regulations do not go far
enough with regards to measures designed to ensure passenger
safety and the rights of road users, which are frequently
violated by other drivers.

For example, in Jakarta there is no fixed penalties for the
following dangerous driving practices: deliberately driving up to
hard shoulder of a toll road, not staying in stipulated lanes,
cutting across a line of vehicles from the right or the left on a
two-way road, violating road markings, using headlights without
considering the safety and comfort of other road users, and
cutting across the path of other traffic and weaving in and out
of lanes.

These matters need to be taken in hand because they place
others in danger and violate existing traffic regulations, yet
they are common practice and have been for quite some time.

It is good to require those riding on motorcycles to wear
safety helmets and to obligate front seat passengers in an
automobile to put on seat-belts because it will instill a sense
of responsibility in the riders and drivers and perhaps make them
think about the safety of other road users. However, at the same
time there must also be regulations passed which prevent the
rights of road users being taken from them by other thoughtless
and selfish drivers.

The identity of a nation can, among other things, be reflected
in the condition of its traffic. National discipline campaigns
always stress that we must be disciplined in the interest of our
own safety. However, a campaign on road discipline must also
emphasize the importance of the safety and interests of other
people because the absence of discipline on the road simply means
encroaching upon other people's rights.

GANDHI MOEHAMMAD

Jakarta